Carabbia and his three brothers were all known as "the Crab", which was a play on their last name, and had become prominent in the organized crime scene in Youngstown, Ohio, working closely with the Cleveland Crime Family. Carabbia answered directly to Leo Moceri and later to Anthony Delsanter. Carabbia was suspected in the car-bombing death of Greek gambling boss Chris Sophocleos in a war for control of the Youngstown, Ohio rackets.

When Ferritto learned that Greene planned to visit his dentist, he and Carabbia waited for him to arrive to his appointment in the parking lot of the building where the dentist's office was, and planted a box bomb inside a bomb car, and while Greene was inside the dentist, they parked the car next to Greene's. When Greene came out and went to open his door, Carabbia set off the bomb, killing Greene instantly. Ferritto later heard that the Cleveland crime family wanted him dead, so he flipped and made a deal with the authorities.

In 1980, Carabbia was sentenced to life in prison. "Big Ange" Angelo Lonardo, Cleveland mobster-turned-informant, told FBI agents that Carabbia and his brothers, Charlie and Orlando, controlled half the gambling and poker machines in the Mahoning Valley well into the 1980s. The profits from that operation, in which the Pittsburgh Mafia also had an interest, helped care for Carabbia's family while he was in prison, Lonardo said. In late 1980, his brother Charlie Carabbia disappeared and has not been seen since, and was presumed killed.

Upon his release from prison in 2002 after serving 24 years for his role in the 1977 murder of Danny Greene, Federal officials feared Carabbia would resume organized crime activities in Youngstown for the Cleveland Mob but he later died of natural causes.